Super Koopalings Episode 6: Through Her Eyes
by StarlitDuck
Summary: A continuation of the "Celia's Dad" storyline. Roy misses Celia after almost five months of not seeing her, so Kamek shows him what she has been up to via a memory sphere. This is going to be an OC heavy story, and most of it will be told from Celia's POV.
1. Missing Her

**Author's Note: Okay, this is a story that I am sure many people are excited for (at least, I'm excited for it). This is a continuation of/sequel to my first fanfiction, "Celia's Dad." If you haven't read it yet, I recommend doing so before you read this one, because it will help put some things into context.**

Chapter 1 Missing Her

Despite the fact that it was the middle of the day, Roy Koopa was laying down in his bed. Why? Well, he wasn't sick, nor was he lethargic. No, Roy was feeling miserable. While his body was in the castle, his mind was somewhere else entirely. It was with her: Celia Patch.

Celia Patch was one of the most interesting girls that Roy had ever met. She was a hybrid; koopa on her father's side, human on her mother's. Her father had abandoned her before she was born, and thanks to her being a hybrid she was severely bullied in school. Due to this, her mother had told her that her father was King Bowser. It was because of this that Celia had taken an interest in Roy in the first place.

Roy sighed. Roy had gone on a journey with Celia to help find her real father. He remembered it like it was yesterday. Part of him wished that it was yesterday. Unfortunately, this journey was five months ago. Five months! That's how long it took him to beat his first video game!

"Why can't I just go to her?" Roy asked himself.

As he said that, he sat up in bed. That idea wasn't entirely bad. Celia had said the last time that they met that she wanted to have time to reconnect with her dad. Shouldn't five months be enough? With this thought in mind, Roy got up, left his room, and started walking down the hallway.

Roy's excitement was growing with each step he took. He couldn't wait to see Celia again, he just couldn't! As he saw the door that would allow him to exit the castle, his heart was pumping rapidly and there were butterflies in his stomach. He would go to the Forest of Illusion, hug her, tell her that he loved and missed her. He wouldn't let her go again. Letting her go the first time was the biggest mistake of his life.

Roy smiled. He put his hand on the door and ran out. Unfortunately, he didn't get very far, as he felt a really nasty shock in the back of his head. It was so painful that Roy had to stop and run back. Once he was in the safe zone of the castle, he saw Kamek coming up to him.

"Don't you remember? You're grounded."

Roy's heart sank. He had completely forgotten about that.

"Why?" Roy asked in a whiny tone. Kamek smirked.

"You know why," he said.

"I don't, actually," Roy responded. "The only thing I do know is that I was just minding my own business in my room yesterday, and then BOOM! I'm grounded."

Kamek shook his head.

"You really are a dunce," he said. "You're grounded because you almost lost me my wand."

Roy gawked.

"That's the reason?" he asked. "Kamek, it's just a stick with a red bead on it!"

Kamek glared at him.

"First of all, that is insulting," said Kamek. "Second of all, even if the star bit was a.." Kamek cleared his throat, "_bead, _that still wouldn't give you the right to gamble it away in roulette!"

"I was gonna win!" Roy stated.

"By betting on green?" Kamek said skeptically. "Riiiight."

Roy didn't know how to respond, so he just turned away from Kamek and sighed.

"Great," he said quietly. "I was gonna hug her and kiss her and tell her I love her. Now I can't do any of that."

"Who in the world are you talking about?"

Roy felt his heart stop at the sound of Kamek's voice. He apprehensively turned back toward the magikoopa, allowing him to see that Kamek was eyeing him suspiciously.

"Uhhh...my imaginary friend?" Roy said nervously.

Kamek's eyebrow headed up into space. Then he walked over to Roy and started waving his wand.

"Hartwall mickidee observus stac!"

Roy braced himself for a magical blast to hit him in the face. Instead, to his surprise, he saw that Kamek was holding his wand over Roy's head. The starbit that served as the gemstone was glowing like a blacklight. Kamek was probing Roy's mind.

Roy waited nervously as Kamek probed his mind. When Kamek was finished, the glow of the wand extinguished and Kamek stared at Roy. Then, Kamek let out a little smile.

"You're in love with someone," he said slyly.

Roy laughed.

"What? Are you crazy?" he said. "I'm not in love with someone!"

Kamek laughed.

"So you don't call wanting to take a girl places that she wants to go, showering her with gifts, and giving her all the affection that you have love?"

Roy hesitated.

"Uh...can you repeat the question?"

Kamek chortled and shook his head.

"You know," he said, "I might be able to help you."

Roy gasped.

"You're gonna unground me?" he asked excitedly.

"No," said Kamek bluntly. Roy's face fell.

"However," Kamek continued, "I can do something else. Follow me."

Roy felt curiosity take hold of him, so he followed Kamek down the hall. When Kamek stopped in front of a door at the end of the hallway, Roy gawked.

"You're taking me into your private study?" he asked. "I thought that was, like, illegal!"

Kamek chuckled as he lead Roy into the study. The place was dark, but not in an eerie way. There were bookshelves lined with books surrounding the room's perimeter, and in the center, a crystal ball sitting on a pillar. There was an intriguing sense of mystery to the room.

"Come here," Kamek said.

Roy went over to the crystal ball on the pillar. He recognized it as a memory sphere; a powerful piece of sorcery that allowed one to see into the memories of whoever they wished.

"Do you wish to see what Celia has been doing over the past five months?" Kamek asked.

Roy's eyes grew wide. Then, he nodded his head.

"More than anything," he said.

Kamek smiled and chanted an incantation. This allowed the memory sphere to start glowing a mint green.

"Okay," said Kamek. "Now you have to be carefully using this. You don't want to get too invested in…"

Roy didn't even wait to let Kamek finish his sentence. He instantly put his hands on the memory sphere, allowing himself to be drawn into Celia's memories.


	2. Thinking Wishfully

Chapter 2 Thinking Wishfully

You want to know how long I've been bedridden? No really, take a guess, you'll never get it. I've been bedridden for two weeks.

Now, I'm sure that there are one or two jerks in the world who would be like: "You know Celia, staying in bed is a choice that you make and you make alone, so you only have yourself to blame for this." Well, to be blunt, I hate people like that. It also doesn't help that people who say stuff like that say it in the most condescending tone possible. Because believe me, I have had enough with condescending people, thank you very much.

You see, the reason I am bedridden is because my leg is broken. I am nowhere near a place that can give me crutches and/or a cast. In fact, right now I am in my dad's "house," which is in the middle of the Forest of Illusion. I put "house" in quotation marks because...I am not one hundred percent sure if that is the right word to use. It's filthy to the point of being considered a dirt mound, there are cobwebs everywhere, and the place has a sickly vibe.

Then again, I've had to live in the sewer for the past six years of my life, so I guess I shouldn't be complaining.

Just as I am thinking this, my dad, Singe Marksmite, comes in through the door. I've gotta say, for somebody who abandoned me before I was born, he does seem like a genuinely nice guy. And you can tell that he is trying his hardest to be a good father to me. Despite this, I am still not going to call him "Dad" anytime soon. I don't know why; I guess it's because the thought of me being able to call someone that still seems like an alien concept to me.

"You are gonna be proud of me!" Singe says.

"Oh, am I?" I ask with a silly tone. Singe nods.

"Yep," he says. "I found something that is going to fix your leg right up!"

Singe reaches into the satchel at his side. I can't help but notice that he uses his robotic arm to do it.

"Tada!" Singe says with a huge smile on his face. In his hand he is holding a one-up mushroom. "One of the best medicines on the planet!"

I sit up in bed.

"Finally," I say with relief. Remember guys, two weeks.

"Now, I have to warn you," Singe says. "These don't exactly...taste the best."

"At this point, I don't really care," I respond. I notice that my tone sounds a little too impatient, so to make up for it I put on a smile. "Thank you, Singe."

Singe beams as he hands over the one-up mushroom. I find out pretty quickly that he was absolutely right. It tastes like rubbing alcohol. If I wasn't used to eating power ups, I probably would have spit it out. Because, if I am being completely honest with you, I still have yet to find a power up that tastes good. Fire flowers taste like gasoline. Ice flowers taste like antifreeze. Super stars taste like somebody incompetent was in the kitchen.

Thankfully, while it tastes horrendous, it does have the desired effect. I can feel the pain and stiffness in my leg starting to disappear. In fact, as a whole, I feel so much better. I feel happier, stronger. More..complete. I get up out of the bed, thankful to be on my feet again. Singe chuckles.

"You know," he says, "those things don't work on me."

"I know," I said. Power ups from the Mushroom Kingdom, unless some kind of magic is involved, have no effect on koopas. I however, am only half koopa, so I can thank my mom for giving me the ability to use power ups. I hear Singe laugh.

"Well, you know have access to your legs again," he says. "Now tell me dear Celia, what are you going to do with them? Are you gonna run? Dance? Balance spinning plates on your toes?"

I give Singe a look. Then, despite trying to take all of my self control to keep from doing it, I chuckle.

"I think I am going to go outside," I say.

"Okay," Singe says. "Do you want me to go with you? It's dangerous out there."

I shake my head.

"No, I think I can manage," I say as I head out the door.

Once outside, I take a deep breath. I haven't seen the outside in what feels like an eternity. Sure, the Forest of Illusion is as dark as sin, but I still appreciate being out in the fresh air.

I decide to go for a little walk around the house. I haven't seen the outside yet, as I was dragged into the house while I was unconscious. If it were possible, the house looked more pathetic on the outside than it did on the inside. I feel like there's a joke in there somewhere about what being on the inside is what counts, but right now my main focus is exploring.

As I go out to the back of the house, I can't help but think about what brought me here. Or, more specifically, who brought me here. That's right, I'm thinking wishfully about Roy Allison Koopa (I still find the fact that male koopas have female middle names, and vice versa, to be hilarious). I have so much that I can thank him for, but I suppose the biggest would be helping me find my dad. I will never stop being grateful to him for that.

But now I am thinking; what would happen if we got together? I mean, he has clearly expressed an interest in wanting to get together. And I will openly admit, I do find him sweet. Not smart but...sweet. He is really thoughtful towards people, at least from what I have seen. Should I...should I have said something different when he asked to go out with me?

As I am thinking this, I notice a boo in the trees. It sticks out its tongue at me and...I feel afraid. Yeah, I'm afraid of ghosts; sue me. With that, I bolt back into the house as fast as I can, and I close the door tightly.


	3. Busy Day

Chapter 3 Busy Day

The next few days were busy days for me and Singe. It turns out that his house is cold. And when I say cold, I mean it; penguins could survive in the temperature created by the house. What makes it worse is that the place doesn't have a thermostat (not that I was expecting it to or anything). So, Singe has to constantly go out for firewood to feed the starving fireplace.

Today was the first day that I was able to go out with him. We walked in silence for a little bit before I saw another boo.

"Hey! Where are you going?" Singe called out to me as I broke out into a run.

I didn't stop. I wanted to get as far away from the boo as possible. I thought I was making really good progress until I tripped on a tree root. Singe came over to me, a playfully smile on his face.

"You trying to break your leg again?" he asked.

I glare at him in what I hope was a threatening way (although it might have looked like I was in pain beyond anything else).

"No," I say. "I'm just…"

I tried to think of a witty response, but nothing comes. Singe chuckles as he helps me up.

"You might not want to veer too far away from me," he says. "This forest...it plays tricks on you."

I nodded. I have heard stories about people who got lost in the Forest of Illusion. They wandered around for days, sometimes months, trying in vain to find the exit. Rumor has it that on moonless nights, you can still hear their footsteps and their cries for help. I feel a shudder run down my spine as I think about this.

"So," said Singe, "did your mother give you a middle name?"

I recognize what this is. Singe is trying to get me to talk for two reasons. One is to distract us from our fears (I could tell that by the worry in his voice), and another is to find out more about me (which I could tell from the curiosity that is also in his voice).

"No, she didn't," I said. "I guess she just thought Celia was good enough."

Singe scoffs.

"Well, no middle name is better than a bad one."

Now I am interested.

"Really? What's your middle name?" I asked.

There is a moment of silence as Singe hesitates.

"Wanda," he finally says.

I stifle back laughter.

"So you're Singe Wanda Marksmite?" I asked.

"Yep, that's my name," he said. "Embarrassing, isn't it?"

"Oh, I don't know," I said (even though the truth of the matter is I would find it extremely embarrassing). "I mean, male children having female middle names is a tradition in Koopa culture."

"Well, the person who set that tradition in place was an idiot," Singe responded. Now I can't even try to hide my laughter.

"I agree," I said. "I mean, I certainly wouldn't want a male middle name."

Singe smiles.

"Then why don't you let me pick a middle name for you?" He puts his hands to his chin. "How about Gigi?"

"Gigi?" I asked.

"Yeah," he said. "It's fun, cute, and is a perfect mixture of human and koopa culture. It'd be perfect for you."

I consider this. Gigi doesn't sound half bad, I guess.

"Sure," I finally say. Singe smile grows brighter.

"I knew you would like it," he said. He then goes up to a tree and puts his real arm on it to see how it feels.

"I think that this is good," he says. He reaches into his bag and pulls out an axe. "Do you mind keeping guard while I chop this down?"

I nod. As Singe starts chopping, I can't help but feel a little nervous. What if another boo shows up? What if a blue blaze comes out of the trees and carries me off? I mean, if it were any other kind of creature, I would be able to fight back. But creatures like boos and ghosts...they don't have bodies. That is part of the reason why they creep me out so much; I don't know how anything could survive without a body of some kind.

To try and keep myself from having a panic attack, I focus on Singe's chopping. He swings the axe back and forth in a perfect rhythm. He does it so well that I can't help but sing a song that I heard was written by Roy's brother, Ludwig:

_A trickster has_

_Started a game _

_And is messing _

_With your mind._

_._

Singe smiles and starts singing the song with me.

.

_She's hammering the _

_Message in _

_That she is hopeless_

_To find_

_._

_Cause now there's_

_Nowhere to turn, _

_Nowhere to go_

_You can't tell if somebody's_

_Friend or foe_

_._

_Everytime there's a _

_Familiar face_

_Your heart returns to a _

_Steadier pace_

_But there's a nagging paranoia_

_That that person is gonna turn_

_. _

_A familiar stranger_

_Is lurking all around_

_She hides in plain sight_

_And is ready to strike you down._

_._

As soon as we finish the first verse of the song, the tree topples over. I grinned at Singe.

"I didn't know you knew that song!" I exclaimed.

He smiles back at me.

"Well, I guess we found something that we have in common."

**Author's Note: Hey guys, StarlitDuck here. I just want you all to know that I set up another poll on my profile. If you guys could take it, I would really appreciate it.**


	4. Face The Future

**Author's Note: I just want to remind you all of the poll on my profile. If you could take it, I would really appreciate it.**

Chapter 4 Face The Future

"You okay?" I asked as I entered the room.

Usually, Singe had a bright and cheery attitude around me. He's even like that in the morning, which surprises me on multiple levels. Personally, I am such a grouch in the morning that I give Oscar the Grouch a run for his money. However, this morning when I went to greet Singe, he was looking rather forlorn. He glanced at me with a look that said "I am feeling down in the dumps and I don't want to do anything."

"Is everything alright?" I asked.

Singe gazed at me with a far off look. It seemed like he was miles away from his body. Then, as if just noticing for the first time that I was speaking to him, he smiled.

"Oh yeah, I'm fine," he said. He got up off of his bed. "Boy, is it hot in here, or is it just me?"

I raised my eyebrow. Something was definitely up. I've only known him for a little while, but even I knew that Singe resorted to small talk when he wanted to distract himself from something.

"Are you sure?" I asked skeptically.

Singe seemed to hesitate for just a minute. Then he nodded.

"I am absolutely sure," he said. "Now, I had managed to find some berries earlier. Can you chop them up for me, please?"

I nod slowly and exit the room. As I started washing the berries, I could feel Singe's gaze boring into my back. It makes me a little unsettled.

"So," Singe said, "do you have any friends back home?"

Now the unsettled feeling I have accentuates. To be honest, the subject of friends has always been a little touchy for me.

"Uh, no," I said.

Singe nods.

"How...close are you and your mother?"

"Not that close," I say almost immediately. I turn toward him. "Why do you ask?"

"Oh, no reason," Singe says. For a solid minute, the only sound in the house is the sound of me chopping. Chop, chop, chop. It's uncomfortable and migraine inducing.

"I just," Singe finally starts, "I guess the reason I am asking is because...Celia, were you happy with your life?"

I don't answer; I don't know how.

"You see, here is my thought process," Singe continued. "You are a teenager. Now is a time when you should be exploring, making new friends, discovering parts of your identity that you never knew were there. You shouldn't be spending your time cooped up in a wreck like this."

I put the knife down instantly and turn to Singe.

"And you should?" I asked. One thing that you need to understand about me is that I cannot stand hypocrisy. Singe looks a little startled.

"I...what?" he asked.

"Singe, everything that you said about teenagers applies to adults too," I said. "In fact, you have more freedom than I do because you are an adult! Why don't you just get out of here?"

Singe refuses to make eye contact with me, so he stares down at my shoes. My dirty, unimpressive shoes.

"I would," he said. "It's just…"

Singe doesn't finish his sentence. His mouth instantly closed shut like an oyster.

"You are scared. Aren't you?" I said, finishing his sentence. Singe nods hesitantly.

"Why?" I asked. Singe sighs and shakes his head.

"I've just let so many people down," he whispers. "You. My parents. Your mother. How can one come back from something like that? How can I possibly go back without feeling so...ashamed?"

I feel a little bit of annoyance melt away.

"Well, I've forgiven you."

Singe snickers.

"You have. But will everyone else be so lenient?"

I consider this then put on a smile.

"Well, the way I see it, you have two options," I said. "One: you can stay here, driving yourself insane by dwelling on the past. Or two: you can pick yourself up, go back to the Koopa Kingdom, and face the future."

Singe looks at me in the eyes.

"Face the future.." he says as his voice trails off.


	5. Aross the Sea

**Author's Note: Eight people have taken the poll so far, and Split Mindset is currently in the lead. If you haven't taken the poll yet, I would appreciate your input.**

Chapter 5 Across the Sea

The next morning, Singe and I made our way out of the Forest of Illusion toward the shore. Singe told me that he had a boat there that would transport us to the mainland. I was expecting the boat to be something like a sailboat, so I was a bit disappointed when I saw it.

"Seriously? A raft?" I asked.

Singe gave me a little smile.

"I said I had a boat," he said. "I didn't say what kind of boat."

"You seriously expect us to get to the mainland on that?" I asked. Singe chuckled.

"Sure," he said. "I mean, this thing's in perfect shape!"

I raised an eyebrow.

"It looks like it's a thousand years old."

Singe didn't respond to this. Instead, he just got on the boat with a look of defiance. Despite my common sense telling me I probably shouldn't, I got on right after him. I guess I've been in the boo ridden forest so long that I was ready to do anything to get out, even put my life in danger.

Singe grabbed an oar and pushed us into the sea. With that, we were off. I could feel the waves undulating beneath our flimsy raft, I could hear the water as if it were screaming. Or applauding. Either way, it was deafening

Singe was in charge of the oar for about half an hour, but after that I had to take over. After all, one of his limbs was artificial. I don't have a robotic limb, but I can imagine how annoying it must be. You can't develop its muscles; it is stuck at one strength, and will always stay that way. I gotta admit, the idea of having a robotic limb makes my stomach churn.

"Look," Singe said as he pointed to the water. Underneath the surface, I could see red blobs. I squinted a little to get a better look.

"Cheep cheeps!" I said. Singe nods and motions for me to stop rowing.

"We must have come across a school," he said. He has an excited and greedy gleam

in his eyes.

"How are going to catch them? We don't have a fishing pole." I said.

Singe grins at me maniacally.

"We don't need a fishing pole." He turns back to the water and runs his hands together gleefully. "In fact, a fishing pole would just get in the way of the fun."

"The fun?"

Before I even finish this two word sentence, Singe dives. I go over to the side of the raft, worried.

"Singe!" I cry.

Just like that, Singe resurfaces. As he bobs in the water, he grins a goofy grin.

"Do you know how to swim?" he asks me.

"Uh, yeah," I responded.

"Well then what are you waiting for?" he said. He sends a wave of water right at me. I shriek as I get drenched. Singe laughs like a maniac as I glare at him.

"Not funny," I said.

"I know," he says nonchalantly. With that, he goes back under. I sigh and take off my hoodie, exposing my peach colored tank top to the salty air. I then dive.

Now, have you ever gotten saltwater in your eyes? If you have, then you know that it makes your eyes sting. I don't go to the beach that often for that reason and that reason alone. So, you can I imagine how thrilled I am to be completely submerged in a body of saltwater. I feel like my eyes have been doused in pepper spray.

Thankfully, my eyes eventually got used to it. Sure they still hurt, but I didn't feel like screaming anymore. Singe waved at me and pointed to the school. If I didn't know any better, I would have thought it was swimming through molasses; they were so darn slow. Then, like a cat pouncing on a mouse, Singe zooms forward. He plucks the cheep cheep up, smiles at me, and we both resurface.

"Now that's what I call fishing," he said. I nod, try to get my damp, flame bright hair out of my face.

"Why don't you try it?" he tells me as he sets the fish in a bucket on the raft. "If you can catch two and I can catch two, then we'll have enough to last us the rest of the trip."

I nod, take a deep breath, and dive back down. I see the cheep cheeps are still there, as slow as ever. I kick with my legs and try to catch one, but I go to far. I end up zooming right past them while my arms are out like an idiot. As I swim back up, Singe swims up to me.

"Do you know sign language?" he asked me in sign.

"I am very fluent in sign. I had a deaf classmate in second grade," I signed back to him.

"Excellent," Singe signed back to me. "Now, the key to doing this is to have speed and accuracy. I overshot the first few times I did it; that is fairly common. However, if you do that too many times, the fish will eventually get smart. Here, watch me do it again."

Singe then zoomed past me toward the cheep cheeps. He did it swiftly and precisely enough to catch the fish. I almost laughed; it looked like the other fish didn't even notice.

"Now, try again," Singe signed. "Remember, speed and accuracy."

I nod. I set my eyes on one of the fish, and I zip past Singe. I then grab at it, and this time I am successful. I do a fist pump; Singe does the thumbs up sign. Together, we swim back up to get some air.

"Nice job, Celia!" he says. "I'm impressed."

I can't help but smile and blush.


	6. Familial Relations

Chapter 6 Familial Relations

One thing that I did not expect was for us to reach the mainland so soon. I almost laughed when we were floating up to it; the idea of us getting to it this quickly seemed...absurd to me. We hadn't even spent a night on the water yet.

But hey, I mean, whatever. I'm definitely not complaining.

We got off the raft and bounced onto the beach. The sand was so white that it resembled snow, and so soft that it reminded me of cotton. The only thing that I thought was weird was the fact that the soft, colorless shore was juxtaposed next to the vibrant, unforgiving sea. I glanced farther inland and saw that there were palm trees lining the land. There were also bushes with carnation pink flowers acting as decor. I recognized the place as World 4.

"We'd better turn in for the night," Singe told me as he started tugging the raft onto the sand. "It's getting pretty late."

For the first time, I noticed that it was sunset. The sky resembled my hair; vibrant yellows, oranges, and reds covered the normally blue scene like paint on a canvas. The sun had already dived halfway below the horizon line, and the clouds no longer resembled clouds so much as soft strokes of a colored pencil. I wasn't normally one to admire sunsets, but I had to admit that the scene this evening was jaw-droppingly stunning.

After Singe had pulled the raft inland, the two of us started traversing the shoreline. I saw one or two hucket crabs, but the beach was completely lacking in other people. That came as a relief to me. I believe that beaches can get more chaotic than theme parks, and overcrowded to the point where the concept of "personal space" becomes completely devoid.

The reason why Singe and I were walking along the shoreline was because we were looking for firewood. Singe didn't come right out and tell me this, but I managed to figure it out once I saw him bending over to pick up some driftwood. After I saw him do that, I started scanning the beach as well. I managed to spot four pieces of driftwood, all as dry as a bone.

By the time that Singe and I gathered enough firewood, the sun was completely absent from the sky and the color was beginning to fade. We went farther inland, where we wouldn't be completely doused in water as the waves came in. After Singe lit the fire, he glanced at me triumphantly.

"There we go," he said. "Not only will this provide us with light and warmth, but it will keep the mosquitos away too."

"That's good," I responded with a sly grin. "Mosquitos are the national bird of World 4."

Singe laughed.

"Good one." He set himself down on the ground as his laughter started to fade. There was a very quick silence before Singe spoke up again.

"I've gotta say, I am impressed that you know sign."

"I'm impressed that _you _know sign," I replied. "Where did you learn?"

Singe gave a teeny grin.

"My cousin. She lost her hearing when she was three, so we were constantly using sign language when she came to visit. And she visited pretty frequently too, so I managed to retain a large portion of the language."

I nodded.

"That's cool. I had no idea that you have a cousin."

"I actually have three cousins," Singe replied. "Two are from my father's side of the family."

I nod again. I was just about to ask Singe how many siblings his dad had when he spoke up.

"How about you? Do you have any cousins? I know that your mom has an older sister."

"Yep, she does," I said. "My aunt has six kids."

Singe's eyes grew wide like doorways.

"Six kids?" Then he started to chuckle. "Wow, her husband must like her!"

I snorted back a laugh.

"I hear that she is about to have a seventh," I said.

"Well then there is no question about it; her husband definitely likes her," Singe said. Then, he adopted an expression that was half amused, half curious. Just like me, the expression is a hybrid. "Do you like your cousins?"

I almost laugh.

"I've never met them." I let my eyes fall to the ground. "My mom and my aunt had a...falling out."

Now the amusement in Singe's expression is replaced by interest. He crosses his legs and stares at me intently as I continue talking.

"You see, Mom had just gone into labor and was heading off to the hospital," I began. "From what I hear, back then my mom and my aunt weren't terribly close. For instance, she knew my mom was going to have a baby, but she had no clue who the father was."

"Okay," Singe said. I notice that there is a hint of disappointment in his eyes.

"So anyway," I said, "when my aunt heard that Mom was in labor, she rushed to see her. She got there the day after I was born; she lived pretty far away." I sigh. "Mom says that when she walked in, and saw me for the first time, she screamed."

"Screamed?" asked Singe. "As in an honest to goodness, ear splitting scream?"

"Yep," I said. "She then turned to Mom and said, 'Ruby, your baby is deformed!' My mom shook her head and said, 'No she's not. She's half koopa.' And as you can probably imagine, my aunt was not thrilled. She and Mom had a big argument, right there in the hospital. After that, my aunt stormed out, and she hasn't talked to Mom since."

Singe nodded slowly and thoughtfully.

"So she is like my parents," he said. "She isn't a fan of koopa, like they aren't fans of humans."

"Yeah," I said. "That kind of puts me in an interesting position."

"I can see that," Singe responded. He sighed. "I'm sorry that your first interaction with my parents wasn't entirely positive."

I nodded slowly.

"Have you met your maternal grandparents?" Singe asked. "You know, the ones on your mom's side of the family?"

"Well, my grandmother died when I was two, so if I have met her I don't remember. I have met my grandfather though."

"What was he like?" Singe asked. "Was he nice to you?"

"Oh, extremely nice," I said. "I remember this time, when I was about seven, that he took me out into a clover patch. He found a four-leaf clover and picked it for me. He said, 'Do you know why four-leaf clovers are so special, Celia?' I said, 'Because they are good luck?' He asked, 'And why are they good luck?' I thought about it and said, 'Because they are rare?' He smiled, gave me the clover, and said, 'You are the four-leaf clover in your patch, Celia.'"

Singe looked like he was touched deep down by that statement. To be honest, at the time, I found what my grandpa said to be very touching as well. In fact, I still find it touching even to this day. That statement has helped me get through really hard times. And while I wouldn't admit it to Singe, my grandpa was like a father to me. Singe sighed.

"I'm glad you had him in your life," he said. "I'm also…"

Singe's voice trails off. I know what he was going to say, though: "I'm also sorry that you didn't have me when you needed me."

"It's alright," I said.

Singe looks at me, with guilty, sad eyes and a small smile.

"I've always liked humans," he said. "I found them to be a fascinating species. They are articulate like koopas, but they don't have the same features; however, I never imagined myself going out with a human girl. That is, until I met Ruby." There is this deep sense of longing, guilt, nostalgia, and love in Singe's voice as he says my mother's name. "Ruby is...I don't even know an appropriate way to describe her. Because when you are in love with someone, they seem to be the best person in the world to you. And Ruby...she really is one in a billion. I guess you could say that she is the four-clover in her patch."

I smile hearing this. Singe smiles back at me. Then he looks up at the sky. The moon is like a big, milky dot out in the void of space, and the stars are glimmering.

"Do you want to go to bed? Or do you want to stay up and talk?"

I think about this. On the one hand, I should probably go to bed. I need sleep, after all. On the other hand, Singe and I probably won't get a chance to talk like this while we are on the road.

"We can stay up and talk," I finally say.


	7. Stonebrim

Chapter 7 Stonebrim

We stayed up and talked until three in the morning. Was it the wisest decision that the two of us have ever made? Probably not. But it definitely wasn't the worst. I learned a lot about Singe. For example, when he was little he wanted to be an ice cream truck driver by day and a superhero by night. He said he imagined himself being called "The Singemark," because he would have left a burning 'S' in the places where he had defeated a villain.

I thought that was awesome. Totally unrealistic? Well, yeah. But then again, I grew up believing that Bowser was my father, so I guess I shouldn't be talking.

I also learned that Singe was always viewed as a black sheep to his parents. They loved him, there didn't seem to be any doubt in his mind that they loved him. But it always seemed like something was off whenever he chatted with them. They seemed to be distant, far away, almost non-responsive. Why? For one simple reason; because he was different.

I honestly don't know what to say to that. I mean, I am definitely an outcast from the realm of normalcy, at least in terms of my physical appearance, but nevertheless my mom always stuck by me. She never treated my problems like they were secondary to hers. She never turned a blind eye whenever I talked about my dreams with her. Singe's parents though...the situation with them makes me feel dark and gloomy inside.

Anyway, Singe and I woke up around noon. I could tell because of how high the sun was in the sky. We both nearly had a heart attack once we realized how late it was. So, the two of us started our journey to the Koopa Kingdom. We did most if not all of the travelling by foot. The main reason was because neither of us knew where any warp pipes were located.

It was almost midnight when we got to the Koopa Kingdom. Now, while the Koopa Kingdom has been my home for the past six years, I've got to say that it is far from my favorite place. Most of the time it is clouded by smoke from the volcanoes that littered the land. Even on the days where it wasn't, the smell of sulfur seemed to cling to everything and everyone. The first time I remember going to the place (I was about five at the time), I remember questioning how it was possible for anybody to live there.

However, while I looked upon the Kingdom with a hint of dread and a smidge of disgust, Singe looked at it like he had just found a diamond in the garbage. As I looked at him, I could see tears welling in his eyes.

"You okay?" I asked. Singe dried his eyes with his robotic arm.

"I'm fine," he said. "I just haven't seen this place in a while, that's all."

I nodded. That was completely understandable.

"So, do you want to get a hotel to stay at?" I asked. "We're not that far away from Stonebrim."

Singe nodded.

"Oh yes, believe me, I would love to get a hotel," he said with a laugh. I smiled and we began to walk toward Stonebrim.

Now, I have to admit that I've never liked Stonebrim. It has a ratty reputation for being one of the dullest, flattest, gloomiest villages in the Koopa Kingdom. And considering what other towns the kingdom has to offer, that's...yeah. Needless to say, I don't go to Stonebrim very often.

And I will say this. If you don't like Stonebrim during the day, I wouldn't recommend going there at night. The houses are dark and foreboding (has anyone heard of decorations?), the streets are lined with gunk ( it's clear this place hasn't heard of sanitation workers either). But all of that...ALL of that is second to the fact that most of the kingdom's crimes take place at Stonebrim after sundown. So if you ever have to walk there at night, I recommend you don't do it alone.

So, Singe and I were walking the streets of Stonebrim. I was growing really nervous, and I almost jumped out of my skin when I felt a tap of the shoulder. I let out a shriek.

"Calm down human, I'm not going to hurt you. I just want to know why you are here with my son."

I turned around and almost gasped. Standing there was Mavery Marksmite, my grandmother. Her face fell when she saw me.

"Oh," she said with disappointment in her voice. "It's you."

Singe turned around and froze.

"Mother…" he said, his voice trailing off.


	8. Mavery

Chapter 8 Mavery

Mavery stared at Singe like she had just found out that he eats kittens for breakfast; startled with disgust in the background. Singe, on the other hand, looked like he had just come across a mass murder; he looked frightened enough to dig himself a hole and bury himself there.

As for me, I didn't know how to feel. I looked at Mavery and saw that the startledness in her expression was starting to fade.

"What are you doing here?" she asked.

Singe hesitated.

"Celia and I…" He saw the angry look that Mavery gave him, which I guess made his nervousness multiply tenfold. His legs started to shake and he started to stutter. "We...we...we're just going to….to...a hotel for the night."

Mavery stepped forward. She looked ready to slap him. I thought she would, but to my surprise, she put her hand on his face gently.

"I am glad that you're back," she said. I couldn't see her face, but I could hear what sounded like love in her voice. Singe looked down at the ground.

"I thought...I thought you wouldn't be."

Mavery removed her hand from Singe's face.

"Right now is a time when I need you, Singe," she said as she too looked down at the ground. Her voice was coated with sadness. For a minute, I felt bad for her. That is, until she turned to me with a hateful look. "But that still doesn't stop me from questioning your moral compass."

I felt bile rise in my throat. I've only met Mavery once before, but even that one experience was enough to help me determine that she and I would never get along.

"He came back because he wants to set things right," I said.

Mavery raised an eyebrow. I imagined a million things that she could say to us, and none of them were pleasant.

"Well if that's the case, I suppose I have a reason to be happy," she said in a way that didn't sound very happy. She turned back to Singe. "Why don't you stay with me tonight?"

"You?" Singe asked. Mavery nodded. "Well, okay. As long as that is what you want…"

Mavery turned back to me with discomfort in her eyes.

"At this point, I want a lot of things," she said. She motioned for the two of us to follow her. We walked about a mile before we came across her house, which was on the outskirts of the town. She let us in, and Singe stopped in the living room to admire the place.

"You've moved," he said. "Why? What was wrong with the house I grew up in?"

"Well you see, dear boy, there is this very important thing in the world that I doubt you are familiar with."

"What's that?"

Mavery looked at Singe with the slightest hint of a smile.

"Money," she said.

Singe looked at Mavery with scorn. Then he sighed.

"So, where are the guest bedrooms?" he asked in an exhausted tone.

"I only have one," Mavery said. "You're going to have to share. It's upstairs, third door on the left."

Singe looked a little taken aback but nodded regardless. The two of us made our way up to the guest bedroom. Sing allowed me to have the bed, meaning that he had to sleep on the floor. I was so exhausted that I didn't even care. I just crashed on the bed and fell asleep.

…

I woke up around nine thirty and I made my way downstairs. That was where I saw Singe talking to Mavery.

"Hey, what are you guys talking…?"

I stopped mid sentence as Mavery turned toward me. She had tears in her eyes.

"It's...it's…"

Mavery burst into a fresh round of sobs. Singe put his hand on her shoulder. He looked sadder than I've ever seen him.

"It's your grandfather, Celia," he said, his voice breaking. "He's in the hospital."

It took a minute for that statement to register.

"Oh," I said as my voice started to fall. "Uh, why?"

Mavery dried her eyes and sniffled.

"He's sick," she said. "He's been sick for a while, but he didn't need to be hospitalized until about a week ago. I've been going back and forth between my house and the hospital during that time."

_Oh,_ I thought. _So that explains why she was out late last night. _For the first time, I notice that Mavery has deep, dark circles under her eyes. They make her look like a vampire koopa. Singe wraps his arms around Mavery to comfort her. He looks like he is doing his best to keep his eyes dry. I find myself having trouble deciding what to say.

"I'm sorry," I finally said. Mavery looks at me with incredulity. Singe takes a deep breath.

"May I go see him?" I asked.

Mavery looks a little surprised.

"Why?"

I hesitated.

"I just...I just feel like Singe and I should get a chance to visit him. After all, Singe does have a few things he wants to take care of."

Mavery looks at Singe, who nodded his head yes. She looks back at me and sighs.

"I suppose if you must," she said a little dramatically.

Singe smiled.

"Thank you, mother," he said.

"Yes, thank you," I said.


	9. Saliday's Request

Chapter 8 Saliday's Request

The hospital lobby had a very distinct smell, like bleach and band-aids. I could also detect the smell of vomit and sulfur, which made me sick to my stomach. I leaned toward Singe to make a joke about this.

"I don't know what air fresheners they are using, but they definitely aren't working."

Singe just stared at Mavery's back as she was talking to the koopa troopa behind the front desk. At first I thought that he hadn't heard me. Then he leaned in toward me.

"I know. It kind of smells like my uncle's old house."

"Was your doctor an uncle?"

Singe stared at me with a weird expression.

"Was my doctor an uncle?" he said. It was then that I realized my blunder. I put my head in my hands.

"That is not what I meant!" I said as I tried to hide my laughter. Singe chuckled.

"Was my doctor an uncle?" he repeated with a smile and a taunting, silly inflection. "I don't know Celia. I'll make sure to ask her the next time I visit."

"Oh no!" I squealed as my embarrassment tripled. I started laughing like a sea lion as Mavery motioned for us to follow her. My laughter rang out despite the fact that we were in a hospital, which was one of my least favorite places in the world. I wasn't paying attention, but I could only imagine the weird looks those who were passing by were giving me. A koopa human hybrid, laughing her nonexistent tail off as she walked down the hallway in a hospital, of all places.

When we stepped into the elevator, my laughter died. The fact that I was in the hospital because I was visiting one of my relatives, as well as the fact that I was being accompanied by my father and my grandmother, had just become more real to me. If someone had told me a year ago that I would be in this scenario, I would have thought they were crazy. Even when I was walking up to the front entrance, I didn't feel the gravity of the situation. But now that we were in the elevator…

I felt something brush up against my hand. I looked and saw that Singe had taken a hold of my palm. I looked into his face, and he gave me a little smile. It was as if he was trying to say "No matter what happens, I'll be here for you." I returned the smile, my way of silently saying "thank you."

The chime of the elevator seemed far away. I walked like a zombie down the hall; I felt like my feet had taken control over the rest of my body. When we reached the room of my grandfather, Saliday, I was so deep in a daze that I couldn't even enter the door. The only thing that had the power to bring me back around was the tap on the shoulder that Singe gave me.

Saliday laid asleep on the bed. The blankets that covered him were thin, but not as thin as he was. He looked like he had lost a large amount of weight in a short amount of time. His hair was sticking to his skull, clinging on for dear life. His face, even though I had only seen it once, didn't look like his. It looked like the disease that he was afflicted with, whatever disease that may be. Mavery went up and rocked his shoulder in order to get him to stir. When he opened his eyes, he appeared to be disoriented.

"Hi Honey," Mavery said. Saliday looked up at his wife and smiled.

"Hello to you too," he said. "I didn't expect you to visit so early."

"Well, somebody wanted to see you," Mavery responded. She moved to the side a little bit, allowing Singe and me to enter Saliday's range of vision. Saliday stared at us, or more specifically Singe, in shock.

"Bless my soul," he said. "It's you."

Singe gave a small smile. Unlike the one he gave me in the elevator, which was one of reassurance, this smile was a homogeneous mixture of joy, sadness, and awkwardness.

"Hi Dad," he said.

Saliday smiled.

"Long time no see," Saliday said with a chuckle. Singe laughed too.

"Yeah, it's certainly been a while," Singe said. He looked down at his right side. "Um, I don't know if you heard, but.."

"Oh, I heard about your arm," Saliday said. "Tell me, because I've always wanted to know. Did your going up to meet Bowser have anything to do with Celia's mom?"

"Oh no," said Singe. "It had more to do with the Starbite Society than it did with Ruby."

Saliday nodded.

"Interesting," he said. "The Society's hideout isn't that far from our house. I've thought about going up there myself, but never had the opportunity."

"Do you have a starbite?" I asked, injecting myself into the conversation. Saliday looked startled, as if noticing for the first time that I was in the room.

"Uh no, I don't," he responded after a little bit of hesitation. "Singe does though, on the back of his neck."

I nodded. I had seen Singe's star shaped birthmark on the occasions where I had walked behind him in the Forest of Illusion. It's actually magenta in color, which surprises me. Most of the time, the color of a koopa's starbite correlates with their shell color, and Singe's shell is red. Fire engine red.

"Do you have a starbite, Celia?" Saliday asked. I nodded.

"Yep," I said. "Would you like to see it?"

Saliday perked up and sat up in bed. I took off my hoodie. Seeing how I had a tank top on underneath, my arms were completely bare. I displayed my left arm to Saliday, who looked with interest at the mark on my skin. It was red with an orange border, which seemed to impress him. Even Mavery stared at my arm with what looked like respect.

"Beautiful," Saliday said quietly. "Absolutely beautiful." He looked at me with a pleased smile. "A starbite by itself is rare, but to have more than one or one that is multiple colors is even rarer. Those who are fortunate enough to have them are considered to be bringers of good fortune."

"Like a good luck charm?" I asked.

"Exactly like a good luck charm," Saliday responded.

I blushed and smiled. I remembered the words that my other grandfather had said to me in the clover patch. Saliday looked at me, happiness causing his eyes to sparkle.

"I am very pleased you came to see me, Celia," he said. Then he looked more serious as he directed his attention toward my father. "Singe, before the two of you leave, there is something that I want to ask you. It's more of a request than anything else."

Singe stepped forward.

"Anything you want, Dad," he said. Saliday sighed.

"Okay," he said. "Well, last night the doctor gave me a prognosis. He doesn't think I have much time left. So, I was wondering. Could you bring Celia's mother to me?"

There was a moment of silence. I'm sure if Singe had something in his hands, he would have dropped it.

"You...you want to meet Ruby?" he asked.

"Yes," Saliday said. "I want to meet the mother of my grandchild at least once in my life."

Singe looked consternated.

"Well, Ruby and I aren't exactly on speaking terms…"

Saliday's face fell, causing Singe to quickly change his tone.

"But I'm sure she would love to meet you!"


	10. Dad And Daughter Talk

**AN: I just wanted to remind you all of the poll on my profile. If you could take it, I would really appreciate it.**

Chapter 10 Dad and Daughter Talk

I couldn't even look at Singe as we exited the hospital. Apparently Mavery felt the same way, because when he asked her a question, she didn't even answer. She just gave him a combination of the silent treatment and the cold shoulder. She gave him the silent shoulder.

I just can't believe that Singe would say that. He has no idea what my mom would want, so what gives him the right to speak for her? Personally, I see no reason why Mom would want to go see Saliday. So, needless to say, I needed a break from Singe. Once we got back to Mavery's house, I stormed up the stairs, slammed the door, and locked myself in. I could hear Singe pounding on the door outside.

"Celia, what's gotten into you?" he asked. "You weren't like this while we were in the hospital."

I rolled my eyes and laid down on my bed. I heard Singe's footsteps retreating down the hall, and at first I figured that it was because he was going to leave me alone. I heard the door open a few seconds later leaving me shocked and my anger to grow.

"How did you…?"

Singe showed me a Bobby pin in his hand. I gave a huff and turned back on my side.

"This isn't about what I said about Ruby, is it?" Singe asked.

I didn't even turn around. I guess Mavery isn't the only one who can give Singe the "silent shoulder."

"Look, Celia, what did you expect me to say?" he asked. "The man is dying; you heard what he said!"

This seemed to be too important a point to not address. I turned and faced my father.

"So I suppose by that logic, you would jump off a cliff if he told you to."

Singe's face got a sour expression. I realized that might have been just an inch too far.

"Sorry," I said. "I just…I don't know."

Singe sat down on the side of my bed. His face was like a palette of different expressions.

"No, tell me," he said in a soft, gentle, endearing tone. I hesitated for just a moment.

"I don't...I don't think that you should be speaking on Mom's behalf," I said. "How do you know Mom would want to see your dad? You haven't talked to her in years!"

Singe's expression started to land on one specific emotion now. That emotion was worry.

"I…"

"I mean, you want to honor your dad, I get it. But why do you have to bring a woman that, even given the circumstances, you barely know into this?"

I watched Singe swallow a lump forming in his throat. He started to twiddle his thumbs as his head lowered to his lap.

"You're right," he whispered. "It was inappropriate to do something like that to Ruby. You are absolutely right."

I could hear Singe as he breathed in and out. Honestly, it was enough to cause my nervousness to escalate.

"But…" he sighed. "I don't know what to do. I mean, I came here to patch things up with my parents."

I snickered.

"Well, maybe you should patch things up with mom before you do that. After all, she is arguably...no, she is definitely the one you hurt the most."

Singe nodded.

"You're right again," he said. He chuckled. "Where did you get this intelligence from; because it certainly wasn't from me."

I shook my head and rolled my eyes. Singe's smile grew a little bit. He then looked at the clock on the wall.

"We have plenty of time before dusk falls. What should we do?"

I didn't even have to think about it.

"We go see Mom," I said. Singe looked surprised.

"Really?" he asked.

"Yes," I said. "You dug yourself a hole. Now you have to fill it before someone realizes you ruined their yard and calls the police on you."

Singe laughed.

"Okay," he said. He then looked more serious. "Let's head out, then."


	11. Encounter

**AN: I just wanted to remind you all about the poll on my profile. If you want to take it, I would really appreciate it.**

Chapter 11 Encounter

"You nervous?" I asked Singe as we walked down the path.

The trip to the Mushroom Kingdom was just as long as I thought it would be. It took us almost seven hours to get there. Considering that we left around lunchtime, that means that dusk was starting to fall and twilight was starting to dominate the sky.

"Of course," Singe responded to my question.

I nodded. I didn't really have anything that I could say.

When we got there, we stopped in front of the door. Despite the fact that the house where Mom lived looked more or less the same to all the other houses in the village, Singe and I were still able to recognize. I recognized it because it was my childhood home and Singe...well, he just had a good memory. Singe held his fist in front of the door, then seemed to hesitate.

"You okay?" I asked. Singe gave a little smile.

"I think I'm going to faint," he whispered sillily. I smirked.

"I wouldn't recommend doing that. Unconscious people don't make great conversationalists."

Singe chuckled and finally knocked on the door. Two minutes later, it was opened. My mom stood in the doorway and stared at my dad.

"Singe?" she asked.

"Hi, Ruby," Singe said with a weak smile.

As I looked at my mom, I felt like I was in front of one of those fun house mirrors. Her face kept shifting and morphing from one expression to the other. Then, just like that, she slammed the door. Singe began pounding furiously on it, trying to get Mom's attention.

"Ruby, please!" he said. He sounded desperate, pathetic.

"Mom!" I yelled. I knew Mom wouldn't refuse to open the door if I was on the other side. Just as I suspected, Mom came back out. There were tears flowing down her cheeks. SInge put his real hand on her shoulder.

"Ruby," he said, "I missed you."

Mom looked away from him.

"I missed you too, Singe. More than you know." With that, she turned and went back inside. I ran in after her.

"Mom…" I began.

I stopped dead. Mom was standing in the middle of the room, her head in her hands. Her body was rising and falling like a series of waves, and I could make out the distinct sound of sobbing. She looked at me, her eyes red.

"What is he doing here?" she asked, her voice strained.

"I...I brought him here," I said. "We, uh...we have a favor to ask you." As soon as I said it, I wished I had kept my mouth shut. Mom's expression hardened like a rock and her eyes were so hot with anger that they appeared to be burning.

"That's why you showed up? A stupid favor?" She stomped back to the door and opened it up. "Singe, get your tail in here right now!"

If I hadn't been feeling sorry for her, I would have laughed. She sounded like she was scolding a little kid. Singe stepped inside, looking bewildered. As Mom closed the door, she looked ready to kill him.

"Your daughter informed me that you came here to ask me a _favor_," she said. She spat out the last word as if it were a rotten apple.

"Look, I know that it might be a little inappropriate," he said. "But it's for my father."

"And why should I care?" Mom retorted.

"Because he's dying, Ruby," Singe said. "He wants to meet you."

Mom sighed and shook her head.

"I don't even know the man, Singe," she said. "And for that matter...I don't even know you! How can I bring myself to trust you?"

"You…" Singe started. Then he shook his head too. "Look, let's not have this conversation in front of Celia…"

Mom gawked.

"Oh, so now you actually give a darn about Celia?" she asked. She was practically yelling at this point. "You didn't care enough to be there during her birth! You didn't care enough to be there when she was bullied!"

"Ruby…" Singe began. Before he could say anything though, he was cut off.

"Did you know that Celia wanted to join the soccer team when she was younger, but couldn't because the others were afraid they would get salmonella from her? Did you know that when she turned ten, someone thought it would be funny to send her a mealworm cake in the mail? Did you know that a week after that, Celia ran away from home? She didn't come back for six years; during that time, I thought she was dead!" Mom then gave Singe the mother of all death stares. "Honestly, part of me wishes that you were dead."

Singe opened his mouth to say something, but apparently thought better of it.

"Get out of my house Singe," Mom said darkly. "And stay away from my daughter."


	12. Theo the Teddy

Chapter 12 Theo the Teddy

Wow. I don't even know what to say. As I watched Singe drag himself out of the house sullenly, I felt like I should do something. The problem? I didn't know what that something was. I mean, should I run after him? Should I yell at Mom? Should I make a complete fool of myself as I beg Mom to let Singe back?

"Celia, come here."

My mother's voice was enough to draw me out of my own head. I turned toward her and was instantly met with the embrace of a hug.

"Mom…" I started. I could feel her tears as they landed on my hoodie. And my hoodie is thick.

"I want you to sleep here tonight," Mom said.

I was flabbergasted. For the second time in less than ten minutes, I was at a complete loss for words.

"Mom...why?" I finally asked. Mom let me go and stared at me, her soaked eyes boring their way into my soul.

"I just feel like that is the best course of action," she said.

It took all my self control to keep my mouth from hanging open in shock. While she wasn't saying anything about it, the inflection in her tone was enough to give her true intentions away. When she told Singe to stay away from me, she meant it. She doesn't want him anywhere near me, nor I near him.

"But...but Mom. Singe isn't as bad as you would think…"

"Don't talk about Singe in front of me right now," Mom said as she held up her hand. "Just go up to your room. We can talk about this in the morning."

I nodded, albeit hesitantly. When I opened the door to my room, I was hit by a wave of nostalgia. This room had always been my room; it started out as a nursery. And I could tell that Mom had tried to preserve it, because there wasn't a speck of dust anywhere. And when I say that, I mean it; even the ceiling fan was unblemished by the abomination of dust (I might be a little bias because I am allergic to dust. And pollen. And poison).

I went over to my bed. My teddy bear, Theodore, lay at rest on my pillow. When I was little he was in perfect condition, but now ...well, he's still in perfect condition. I looked at the bright yellow walls and saw the crayon marks that I made when I was a toddler. I say "marks" and not "drawings" because I don't know if you can count scribbles as fully formed pictures.

I looked at my bookshelf. There was a plethora of books on my shelf, and almost all of them came from the Mary Otter series. The Mary Otter series is excellent; the first chapter book I ever read was "Mary Otter and the Band's Rock." I liked that book so much that I actually had multiple copies.

I sighed and flopped on my bed, my freakishly well made bed. I stared at Theodore for a few seconds before I gave a little scoff. Then I did something I'm not really proud of; I started up a "conversation" with the bear.

"Well, Theo, a lot has changed since I left. For one thing, I met my dad. Can you believe that?" I sighed. "And no, he is not Bowser. He's this guy called Singe Marksmite."

Theo stared back at me with his button eyes. I laughed.

"You don't have to look so devastated Theo. He's actually a really nice guy. In fact, he and I have a lot in common…"

"Celia?"

I nearly jumped out of my skin at the sound of my mom's voice. I turned toward the door to see her standing there.

"Are you talking to Theodore?"

I looked back at my stuffed bear.

"I'm impressed you remembered his name," I mumbled.

Mom snickered.

"Of course I remember his name; he was yours," she said. Then she cleared her throat and the smile vanished from her face. "Anyway, supper is in half an hour, if you want any."

I nodded and followed her out. I figured that if she was making supper, she would need all the help she could get.


	13. Love Potion

Chapter 13 Love Potion

Mom and I sat down to eat our burnt dinner (it turns out all the help in the world can't salvage her cooking). As I tried to choke down what I think was a broccoli floret (although at this point it could have been anything), Mom looked at me intently. Her staring would have made me uncomfortable if she didn't look so dejected.

"I love you," she said softly. "You know that, right?"

I looked up from my plate (thank goodness I had a reason to, the burnt food was starting to make me sick). Mom was trying to put on a smile, but it was probably the most pathetic sight I had ever seen. It...it didn't even look like a smile. Just an upside down frown, if that makes any sense.

"Of course I do," I replied. Mom nodded.

"Good," she said. She then directed her staring down at her plate. I looked at her as she started fiddling with her food. I felt like I had been hurt by her; emotionally hurt by her.

"Mom? You know how you said that you wished Singe was dead?"

Mom fixed her eyes on me. She looked surprised and a little peeved that I had the audacity to mention my father's name. She didn't say anything though, so I took that as a ticket to continue.

"Did….did you really mean that?"

Now Mom's expression became awkward. She sighed.

"On some level, yes," she said.

Now I felt angry.

"Why would you…?"

"Hold on," Mom said as she held up her hand. "Let me explain." She took in a breath that was deeper than the ocean. "Do I mean that with every fiber of my being? No, of course not. But...I personally believe that if he had died, then it wouldn't be so…painful."

My mouth hung open in shock. How could my mother of all people say this? My mother, one of the most selfless people who I had ever met, was now sitting across from me telling me that she wished someone was dead for her benefit and her benefit alone? I mean, was it painful growing up without a father in my life? Yes, that is pretty much a given. But in my opinion, it would have been so much worse if I knew that the door had closed on an opportunity to know my dad.

"And I know...that that is a horrible thing to say," Mom said, translating my thoughts into words. "But Celia...you have no idea what it is like to be loved by someone, and then have them turn around and break your heart."

I tapped my index fingers on the table, trying to figure out what to say next.

"If only you knew his side of the story," I said softly, almost in a mumble. Unfortunately, it was just loud enough for Mom to hear me. She stared at me, and I stared back. You know how they say eyes are the windows to the soul? Well, when I looked in my mom's eyes, I saw someone screaming and crying on the other side. She wanted to curl up in a little ball and hide, she wanted to crawl into bed and never get up. She was hurting in a way that no amount of therapy, talking, or family members could possibly fix.

"And how do I know that hearing his side of the story won't make it worse?"

…

I laid down in my childhood bed, in my childhood room. I couldn't sleep. The once friendly blankets now wrapped themselves around me in hostility, trying to squeeze every ounce of air out of my lungs. On top of that, I was brooding. You can't go to sleep while you are brooding, it is nearly impossible.

What could I do? My mom was in her bed, possibly drowning in her tears, and my dad was now who knows where. Despite my anger when I had first learned about what Singe did to Mom, I didn't want him gone. I liked having him around. Or maybe I just liked the idea of finally having a father. Either way, I didn't want my relationship with him to die before it had a chance to blossom.

I rolled over on my side. There had to be something. Perhaps if I could get some magic involved; something that could wipe away all sadness from my mother's heart. Then, not only would I have a mother, not only would I have a father, but I would have them together. We would also be happy. Mom would be happy, Singe would be happy, and I would be happy. I would get the family that I never had, the family that Mom wants us to have.

But that could never happen. After all, that would require me to know...a magikoopa.

The thought landed on me slowly and gracefully. By contrast, I jolted upright.

"Kamark!" I quietly uttered to the darkness.

Kamark was the co-founder of the Starbite Society and an old friend of Singe's. I met him when Roy and I had a chance encounter with the Society. He is very skilled with magic, so maybe he would have a solution!

I didn't waste anytime after that. I got out of bed and put my shoes. Then, I quietly snuck out of the house. I knew that the Starbite Society's headquarters was in the Koopa Kingdom, so I had a long walk ahead of me.

…

I got to the Koopa Kingdom around five in the morning. My feet were sore, and I felt ready to pass out from exhaustion. Nevertheless, when I arrived at the Society's hideout, I nearly screamed with joy. I was stopped by the guard at the hole (the Society's headquarters was underground).

"Who are you?" he asked.

"I'm Celia Patch," I said.

"Celia Patch?" he asked. "That name doesn't sound familiar. Then again, I just joined the Society a week ago. So tell me, Celia Patch, are you a member of the Society?"

"Oh yes," I replied. I rolled up my sleeve to show him my starbite. He looked at it then looked at me in the face.

"How in the Mushroom World does a human have a starbite?" he asked with a shocked inflection. "That's kind of odd, don't you think?"

I smiled.

"You're right, it would be very odd," I said. "If it weren't for the fact that I am half koopa."

The guard looked at me with wide eyes. I nearly laughed.

"Oh," he said. "Well, I suppose I could let you in then."

I thanked the guard and went into the Society's hideout. When I walked into the main room, lit by candles, I saw Kamark standing in the center of the room. He smiled when he saw me.

"Well this is a pleasant surprise," he said. "What are you doing here, Celia?"

I sighed.

"I need your help," I said.

With that, I launched into the full story. Kamark's face went on a roller coaster ride of emotions as I continued to talk. When I finished, he looked flabbergasted.

"Wow," he said. "So you really convinced Singe to come back?"

"Yes," I said. "And I do not want him to leave. Kamark, do you have a solution?"

Kamark scratched his head with his wand.

"Well, there is one thing I can do," he said. "But I feel I must warn you that it isn't entirely ethical."

"At this point, I am willing to try just about anything," I said.

Kamark then sighed and told me to hold out my hand. He waved his wand over it and a vial appeared.

"Within this vial is one of the strongest love potions in the universe," he said. "If you give this to your mother, she will fall head over heels for Singe."

I stared at the potion in my hand. I realized that Kamark was right; this wasn't ethical. But at the same time, I was literally holding an opportunity in my hand. I just couldn't pass it up.

"Thank you Kamark," I said.

"You are welcome, Celia," he said. "Now, do you want me to teleport you back to your house? I believe that the sun is starting to rise."

I nodded in reply. With that, Kamark waved his wand, and two seconds later I was back in my bed.


	14. Hesitation

Chapter 14 Hesitation

I checked the time immediately, hoping that I would have some time to sleep. Unfortunately, it was already six o'clock. I growled, I wanted to beat my clock for being so cruel to me. That was when I detected the unmistakable scent of something burning.

"Oh no," I huffed. I got out of bed and went down to the kitchen. To my relief and my expectation, I spotted Mom right in front of the stove, burning our breakfast like it had just confessed to being a witch.

"Uh...good morning?" I said.

"Good morning," Mom replied. That two word phrase sounded rehearsed.

"What are you making?" I asked.

"Pancakes," she stiffly responded.

I looked into the pan. The pancake that was in there looked about as appetizing as arsenic. Actually, that is an insult to arsenic.

"More like burncakes," I said with a snicker.

Mom gave me the stink eye. Unfortunately, she wasn't skilled enough to look away from the stove while she was cooking, so she dropped the spatula onto the crime scene of a breakfast.

"Oh come on!" Mom said grumpily. She let out a growl. "Son of a chomp."

It was then that I realized that maybe I had been a little too hard on her regarding her cooking. After all, she had a rough twenty four hours.

"Do you need my help with anything?" I asked in the most sincere way that I could.

Mom paused for a minute.

"No, not with breakfast," she said. "However, you can set the table. I also think that there is some juice in the fridge that you can start pouring."

I felt like my stomach was doing three sixties. I nodded and went to do my task.

It took me ten minutes to find the utensils because Mom had rearranged the house since I had left. Mom actually liked to rearrange our house a lot when I was younger. She always said that if we couldn't move out of the house, then the least that we could do was move it around. Personally, I just think that rearranging and redecorating is a waste of time and energy. Case and point, I actually got lost because Mom had moved the house around in such a ridiculous way.

When I finally managed to set the table and find the cups, I got juice out of the fridge. I carefully filled my cup up to the brim, and I made sure that Mom's cups halfway full. Then, I took out the vial and uncorked the lid. That was when I froze. What exactly was I going to do? This was wrong. What if Mom stayed under the effects of the potion forever? What if it wasn't actually a love potion like Kamark had said? Then a terrible thought struck me; what if it would kill her?

As I pondered this, I heard my mom's footsteps coming into the room. My heartbeat grew stronger as the footsteps grew louder. What should I do?

Then, suddenly, the thought of me having a family entered my mind. With that, I quickly poured the potion into let drink. It didn't change the drink's color, thankfully. So, I set the drink on Mom's side of the table and went to sit down in my seat. Mom came into the room with the pancakes in her hand. She looked grumpy and exhausted.

"Well, bon appetit," she said.

I almost gave her a death glare because of her sarcastic tone, but I realized that was unnecessary. Mom sat down at her end of the table and looked down at the glass in front of her.

"You know, a lot of people don't appreciate grapefruit juice," she said as she picked the cup up. "But I remember how much you loved it. I didn't even drink it myself, but after you left…"

I stared at my mom, not sure what to say. She chuckled and shook her head.

"I'm sorry, I realize that I'm being a little melodramatic this morning," she said. She raised her glass. "To my sanity."

If I hadn't known what was in the glass, I would have giggled. For a minute, I felt like telling her. But before I could, she swallowed the concoction, and it was too late.

I stared at my mom. I thought I saw a change in her eyes. As I leaned closer, I saw that her the emerald color that she was so proud of had turned a root beer brown. Her expression also looked distant. I felt concerned.

"Mom?" I asked.

Mom then looked me in the face.

"We need to go find Singe."


	15. Attracted

Chapter 15 Attracted

Mom and I searched for about twenty minutes. After we reached the ten minute mark, I realized that this was pointless. Singe could be halfway to Sarasaland by now. Nevertheless, Mom was persistent. She kept telling me that she would stop at nothing to find my dad.

I was growing increasingly frustrated. All that I really wanted to do was crawl into my bed, get under the covers, and sleep. Just as my patience was wavering, I climbed a hill and saw Singe sitting on a bench near the base. He had a fire flower in his hand and was picking the petals off one at a time.

"Singe?'

SInge jumped up in fright and turned to me.

"Celia!" he said. "What are you doing here?"

"Mo...Mom wanted to find you.

Singe looked more surprised than if he had just found out the world was going to end.

"Ruby changed her mind?" he asked.

"You could say that," I said.

Singe opened up his mouth to say something when both of us heard my mom's voice from on top of the hill.

"Singe!" she cried in delight.

She ran down the hill as quickly as she was capable. When she got to Singe, she wrapped her arms around him tightly. It was like watching a scene from a cheesy romance movie.

"Singe. I am sorry."

Singe looked flustered. He let my mom go.

"For what? You...you did what you had to do to protect yourself."

Mom smiled.

"Yes," she said, "amd I regret every word. Honestly, I should have never let you leave."

Singe looked into my mom's face. He looked confused.

"Weren't...didn't your eyes used to be green?" he asked.

I felt like I could not breathe. Mom, however, just laughed.

"Don't be silly Singe," she said. "They are the same color that they always are."l

Singe looked a little skeptical. Singe might be a lot of things, but he definitely is not stupid.

"Are you.. .Ruby, is there something you're not telling me?"

Mom just snorted and started to laugh.

"Singe!" she said. "How can that be the case? I never hid anything from you before."

Singe immediately looked guilty. I knew that, while Mom had never hid anything from him, he has hidden a boatload of information from her while they were dating.

"Ruby..." he said. Before he could finish his sentence, Mom put her finger on his mouth, silencing him in one of the most seductive ways possible.

"I want to go meet your dad."

Now Singe didn't look surprised. He looked downright shocked. Nevertheless, he nodded.

"Okay."


	16. The Picture

Chapter 16 The Picture

We got back to the Koopa Kingdom around nine that evening. I felt like my body was screaming with exhaustion. I wanted to sit down, lie down, do anything other than walk around. I didn't even care where I laid down as long as I got a chance to do it.

But I couldn't do it. I needed to keep walking. So, with Mom and Singe about ten feet in front of me, I meandered into Stonebrim.

"We're going to the hospital first, right?" I called out to Singe.

"Yeah," said SInge. "I don't see any reason to stop at the house."

Mom wrapped her arms around Singe. Although I couldn't see it, I knew for a fact that she was smiling.

"I love how you are doing this for your dad," she commented. "I think it shows how sweet of a son you are. You really are a good person, Singe."

Singe stopped dead. He stared Mom down in a way that made him look like he was going to yell.

"Okay Ruby seriously, why are you acting like this?" he asked.

Mom looked confused.

"Like what?" she asked.

"Like I'm the best thing since the one-up mushroom," Singe said.

Mom giggled.

"Isn't it obvious, Singe? I love you." She stared deep into his eyes. "And I have never stopped loving you. Even when you were far away, I always had a place for you in my heart. It is so nice to have that place be filled up again."

That was when I started to wonder. Was what Mom saying her words, or were they the effects of the potion? After all, Kamark only said that the potion would make Mom attracted to Singe. He never came right out and said exactly what it did. Did it just put feelings in her heart and words in her mouth that she had never experienced before? Or did the potion reignite the feelings that she already had, feelings that she had long since buried?

As I was pondering this, Mom leaned in and gave Singe a kiss on the lips. Now, I am not someone who gets squeamish when I see other people kissing. I mean, I don't go out of my way to see it, but whenever I am in the general vicinity of two people making out, I just go, "huh, neat." This time, I felt uncomfortable. First off, I had never seen my mom kiss anybody in my life. Second, and this kind of ties into the last point I made, I didn't know if any of it was real. It could have all been an illusion created by the magical concoction she had swallowed. And if you are wondering whether or not I felt guilty watching this, I did. I felt extremely guilty.

SInge looked surprised as Ruby kissed him. The kiss lasted for a full minute, and Singe had his eyes wide open the entire time. When Mom pulled away, his mouth was hanging open as well. Mom looked starstruck as she smiled at him.

"I can't tell you how happy I am that you're back," she whispered.

Singe continued to stare. Then he tilted his head down at the ground. He looked confused, guilty, and awestruck. He whispered something softly.

"What was that?" Ruby asked.

Singe looked into my mom's now chocolate colored eyes.

"That might have been the best kiss I've ever received from you," he said.

Mom blushed, as if compliments from him were more precious to her than gold. I realized that at this point, they probably were.

After that, we resumed with our walk to the hospital. Mom was holding Singe's real hand as they walked in the moonlight. I have to admit, it looked very romantic.

_You know what? This is a good thing_, I thought to myself. _Really, when you think about it, this is what both of them want._

This thought was enough to cause me to smile. I smiled as Singe talked to the koopa troopa behind the front desk, I smiled as we were in the elevator. I even smiled at my mom, who smiled back at me with joy beyond comprehension. Singe looked over his shoulder at me, and despite his apparent confusion, he gave a little smile back at me.

We walked down the hallway to my grandpa's room. When we got there, I held back a groan. Mavery was there. It was then that I knew that this visit was going to be far from pleasant.

Singe knocked softly on the door.

"I hope we weren't interrupting anything," he said.

Saliday looked up. It was then that I noticed that he had been looking at old photographs that Mavery had laid down on his bed.

"Well, it's good to see you again,' he said. He chuckled. "You know, you and Celia gave Mavery quite the scare."

"We did?" Singe asked. Saliday nodded.

"She had no idea where you two were over the past few days."

Singe looked at me with the hints of a glare.

"Weren't you supposed to tell your grandmother we were leaving?" he asked.

I shrugged and blushed. The truth is I had no memory of him telling me to do that.

"Uh...oops?"

Singe just shook his head and turned back to the bed. He turned to Mom at his side.

"Mom, Dad," he said with a juxtaposition of timidity and pride in his voice. "This...is Celia's mom."

Saliday gave a smile; Mavery gave a look of contempt.

"It is very nice to meet you," Saliday said as he extended his hand toward Mom. "What is your name, dear?"

I swear I could see Mom's smile, even though her back was to me.

"Ruby," she said.

Saliday looked pleasantly surprised. Mavery scoffed.

"Oh, that was my mother's name!" Saliday said. "I also believe that it is the name of our niece. Am I correct, Mavie?"

"Uh, sure," Mavery responded without looking at the two of them. Her arms were crossed and she looked ready to storm out of the room. I have no idea whether Saliday didn't notice, or if he didn't care.

"So as you can imagine, I have a real appreciation for that name," Saliday continued. Mom laughed like she had heard the funniest joke on the planet.

"Hey, do you like cannolis?" Saliday asked.

Mom shrugged. As she did, I moved across the floor so I could get a look at her face. I saw that she looked a little apprehensive.

"To be honest, I am not a fan," she said. "Although I do like macarons."

Saliday snickered.

"Ahh, so you are a fancy person," he said. Everyone in the room laughed. Everyone, that is, except for Mavery. I noticed her slip out the room; I think I was the only one who did.

"Not really," Ruby said. "I haven't had macarons in years. I am practically a pauper."

Saliday nodded. Singe then came up to Mom.

"Do you remember how I had a box of macarons when we met?"

Mom beamed.

"I do! You had about a hundred of them!" she said. "You were taking them to...I'm sorry, I can't remember where."

"I was taking them to my friends house," he said. "He made a bet with me that I could eat a hundred in under a minute. We...we made a lot of bets back then."

Saliday nodded with a smile.

"I remember that," he said. "I think it was because of him that you had spent an entire week copying other people's sentences." Saliday looked around the room. "Hey, where is Mavery?"

Mom and Singe looked around the room.

"I don't know," Singe said. "I mean, she can't be in the bathroom because the door is open."

Mom sighed dreamily.

"I love how intelligent you are," she said as she wrapped her arms around his robotic limb. Singe nodded, a little baffled. He then turned to me.

"Celia, do you mind…?"

"Not at all," I lied. I exited the room and walked down the hallway, hoping that I would not get lost. I turned the corner and saw Mavery leaning against the wall. She looked forlorn as she stared at a photo in her hand.

Then...silence. I did not want to talk to Mavery. I just wanted her to get back to the room.

"Are...are you okay?" I asked politely.

Mavery looked at me, looking like she was in a daze.

"Look," I said. "Saliday is worried about you. He wants you to…"

"Tell him I'm fine," she interrupted.

I sighed, a little frustrated.

"As I was saying, I think he wants you back in the room," I stated.

Now Mavery took a glance at her photo. She looked angry. Whether she was angry at me I did not know, but I wouldn't put it past her.

"I don't want to," she said.

I wanted to scream. It wa slike I was talking to a toddler.

"Well, I think..."

Mavery then looked up and glared at me.

"You know what? Fine." She then placed the photo in my hand. "Do you know who this is?"

I glanced down. The photo showed a koopa man. Since it was in black and white, I couldn't tell what color his hair was.

"I don't know," I said.

"That is my father; Daisuke Scale," she said. She took the photo back from me. "He died before Singe was born."

I blinked. Where exactly was this going?

"I...I'm sorry."

Mavery looked at me, tears starting to build up.

"You should be," she said. "He didn't die of natural causes. He was murdered."

I felt shocked.

"Murdered? By who?"

Mavery sent me a look that made chills run up and down my spine. It was then that I realized the answer.

"By...by a human?" I asked.

Mavery nodded.

"By a human," she said, spitting out each individual syllable. She looked down at the photo again. Fat tear drops landed on the surface. "I never found out who exactly did it. All I know is that they used a fire flower."

I felt sick. Mavery looked at me.

"Are you proud, Celia? Are you proud to be a member of that race of monsters?"

I didn't answer. Even if I had wanted to, Mavery was already long gone.

**AN: Hey guys, guess what! I have set up an account on FictionPress! It is also called StarlitDuck. I am really excited about using it, and I hope that you enjoy my stories there to.**


	17. Unreal

Chapter 17 Unreal

I just stood there. Stood there like an idiot. I didn't even know if I was capable of moving for a solid minute .

Then I started to laugh. I didn't expect myself to, but there was just something so...ludicrous about the whole scenario. It...it didn't even seem real! The whole story sounded like something that Mavery had fabricated to get me to feel guilty.

But at the same time...there had been something so genuine in Mavery's voice as she had recalled the story to me. She had this sadness in her inflection that would be darn near impossible for even the most talented actors to replicate.

So, I didn't know what to think.

You know, ever since I've met Singe, I found that happening a lot. I found myself at a loss for words, frozen in my feelings and thoughts. I guess that is partly due to the fact that I am discovering parts of my identity that I had no idea.

I stood in the hall for about one more minute. I had stopped chuckling and was now reviewing the conversation Mavery and I just had in my head. I couldn't put my finger on it, but it just seemed...off. No matter how hard I squinted at the scenario, I had absolutely no clue what I was supposed to say, what I was supposed to do, how I was supposed to act. I mean, how are you supposed to act when you hear your grandmother say something like that to you?

With these thoughts in mind, I started to walk back to the room. As I opened the door, I could see Saliday and Singe in conversation. Saliday looked like he was overjoyed to be talking to his son, and Singe looked like he would've felt the same if it weren't for the fact that Mom was wrapped around him like a scarf.

"Did you find Mavery?" Saliday asked me when he saw that I had come back in. I hesitate for a little bit before nodding.

"Is she alright?" Singe asked me.

"Yeah, she's fine," I said. "She just needed to get some air, that's all."

Saliday looked grave as he nodded his head in response. Singe looked at me with what looked like concern.

"Are you okay, Celia? You look a little shaken."

I rubbed my eyes, partly because my fatigue was starting to get the better of me.

"Yeah, I just…" it was then that I realized that I wanted to discuss this. "Singe, is it okay if we can talk in the hall?"

Singe nodded almost immediately. I think part of the reason why he did it was because of the fact that he was getting a little sick of Mom constantly smooching him. My theory was confirmed when we had stepped out into the hall and he chuckled.

"Ruby is all over me," he said. There was confusion amidst the amusement in his tone. "I think she told me 'I love you' more times in the past seven minutes than I have ever heard over the course of my entire life."

I let out a little chuckle. Singe replicated it with a goofy smile.

"So," he said after we had finished. "What is going on?"

There was then an uncomfortable silence.

"Well, Mavery…" I began.

Suddenly, Singe's expression shifted to happy to dark. The transition was like someone flipping a light switch.

"Mavery what?" he asked. "Did she say something to you?"

"Uh, no…"

Singe placed his hands on my shoulders. He looked a little frightened.

"Did she hurt you in any way?"

I shook my head.

"No. She didn't do anything like that."

Singe breathed a sigh of relief.

"Oh good," he said. "Well then what is the problem?"

I proceeded to explain what Mavery had said to me. By the time I was finished, Singe had one of the strangest expressions that I had ever seen.

"Did you know about it? About what happened to her dad?"

Singe looked down on the ground, the strange expression still dominating his face. He nodded.

"How...how...just how?" I asked. "I mean, it just seems...unreal to me."

Singe looked me in the eye.

"There is a reason for that," he said.

I felt a little confused.

"It...what?"

"The story that she told you is greatly exaggerated." Singe chuckled. "It wasn't a stone cold murderer who walked the street, as she made out to have you believe."

"Then...then who was it?"

Singe chuckled.

"Celia, my grandfather was an army veteran."

It took a while for that statement to sink in.

"He...what?"

"Yeah," Singe said. "He served in the koopa troop for a while back. The so-called 'murder' that my mother was talking about happened while he was on the battlefield."

"Ohhhh…." I said. I looked up at Singe and could see this...anger in his eyes. He sighed and shook his head.

"Why on the Mushroom World did she feel the need to say that to you?"

The question sounded more rhetorical than anything else, so I decided to stay silent. Singe looked me right in the eyes.

"You don't have to worry about her," he said. "She is just hating for the sake of hating."

I nodded. I chuckled a little.

"It seems that she wants her hatred to influence my sense of self worth," I said.

Singe started to look extremely angry now. He looked like he was ready to wring the neck of anybody who came close to him.

"I'll talk to her later," he said. "Don't you worry."


	18. Coming Clean

Chapter 18 Coming Clean

"I am going to kiss you here...and I am going to kiss you there...oh man, I missed being able to kiss you!"

I now officially hate myself.

I can't even look at them together without feeling nauseous anymore. As we are sitting at the breakfast table, Mom giving Singe more kisses than I thought was humanely possible, I feel like screaming, "Would you please take it somewhere else?" But I can't do that, because I know that I only have myself to blame.

"Oh Singe," Mom says as she caresses Singe's hair. "You know, I think that the years have been very generous to you."

SInge looks like he had rather be anywhere else. The fear in his eyes as he looks at my Mom, smooching him like he is leeking pheremons, is unnerving.

"Ah...thank you, Ruby."

Mom smiles dreamily and leans against Singe's chest. Singe chuckles nervously, glances toward me, and what do I do? I give him a thumbs up. That's right, a stupid thumbs up. What the World Eight is wrong with me?

"Help me," Singe mouths to me.

Just before I can say anything, Mavery walks into the room. Oh, did I forget to mention that this whole affair is taking place in her house? A hard detail to overlook, but one that I desperately wish I could. Mavery groans.

"Why? Just why?"

Singe nervously gets up, leaving Mom in the dust. Mom looks like a little kid who just had their favorite toy taken away. For a minute, I think that she will burst into tears. Fortunately, she doesn't do that. Unfortunately, she does something worse. Much worse.

"Uh, excuse me?" Mom says as she gets out of her chair. She glares at Mavery like a serial killer. "We are trying to reconnect here!"

"Well, I apologize _dearly_ for that," Mavery venomously spits back. "I was just hoping that I could have time to chat with my son, whom I haven't seen in almost _seventeen years_."

"Well, I haven't seen Singe in a long time either," Mom retorts. "And I don't think it would be right of you to deny me the right to see him. After all, he is _the father of my child_!"

"And my grandchild!" Mavery shouts. Why can't I go anyway? I don't want to be here. In fact, I wish I was anywhere but here. "Besides, I've known Singe for much longer than you have."

"Well, I know Singe better," Mom says. Mavery looks shocked, and the green part of her head is starting to be tinted with a reddish hue.

"I...you..._excuse me?"_ she sputters. She starts to approach Mom, the same way a lion approaches a gazelle. Slowly, menacingly; I have a feeling that this is going to go horribly wrong, horribly fast.

"I know Singe way better," Mom says. "If you weren't his mother, I would say that you two were complete strangers."

Mavery growls and lunges for my mom. I almost shout out in fright; I knew it was coming, but that doesn't mean I wanted it to happen. I don't want to see my own mother get beat up; who does? Before Mavery can attach her hands around Mom's throat, Singe gets behind her and holds her back (thank goodness).

"Okay, okay, that's enough!" Singe says. He sounds authoritative and stern, like a father disciplining his children. He turns to Mavery. "Mom, please. Violence is not necessary!"

Mavery shoots a glare at my father, but doesn't say anything in response. She makes her way out of the room, mumbling under her breath what I can only assume are the most vile of swears. Singe turns to Mom, who looks at him in the most love stricken way.

"Ruby…"

Before he can get another word in, Mom wraps her arms around his neck and kisses him on the lips. The kiss lasts for about five seconds, but to me, as the guilt stricken daughter/observer that I am, it feels like it lasts thirty. Singe backs away in fear and shock.

"Ruby!" he shouts.

"Singe." Mom goes for him again, presumably to try and get another kiss, but Singe is too quick. He hops up onto a chair, as if Mom is a venomous spider.

"Ruby please, for the love of Miyamoto, I beg you to stop!" he sounds desperate now. My guilt is increasing by the minute. "Why are you doing this?"

"Why are you asking me this?" Mom says, her arms now crossed. "Singe, you are not acting like yourself.

"_I'm_ not acting like myself?!" Singe is now baffled beyond belief. Mom smirks.

"Yes. You are a lot more jumpy now, and you are a lot more stressed. It's concerning." Mom gets up on the chair. "But that doesn't mean I will stop fighting for us."

Mom tries to wrap him in an embrace. She is successful, which is unfortunate as when she does, the chair that they are standing on topples over backwards. I rush over to them in a panic.

"Mom! Dad! Are you alright?"

Mom gets up and smoothes out her skirt. Singe, on the other hand, sits up and puts his hand to his forehead. I kneel beside him.

"Are you okay, Dad?"

Singe looked at me. There is a moment of silence as he stares at me in wonder.

"You called me Dad. Twice."

I realize that he is right. I hadn't even realized that I had called him that (twice) until he had told me. I start to feel a little baffled myself, but I can't indulge that feeling for long. I need to help Singe.

"We need to get you some ice," I said, nodding to acknowledge what Singe had just told me. "Mom, can you go get SInge an icepack?"

Mom nods and heads to the kitchen. I help SInge stand up and bring him to the other room.

"I don't need ice," he protests. "My head feel fine…"

"I've realized that; I just used that as an excuse for us to get away from her."

Singe looks at me in surprise.

"Oh. Well, thank you, Celia."

I nod again as we head up to the room that Mavery had given to us. As I close the door, Singe sits down on the bed.

"That got really out of hand," he says with a nervous chuckle. The only thing I can do is nod. "I mean…" Singe stares down at the floor. "She was never that passionate. Never. I mean, she loved me but...this is not love. I don't know what it is, but it is not love."

Now I can't keep it a secret anymore. If I do, then I could possibly putting both my parents' well being and potential relationship in jeopardy. So, I open my mouth and speak.

"You're right; it's not love. It's magic."

SInge looks up at me.

"What?"

I take a breath and sit down in front of him. Now there is no turning back; I have got to come clean.

"Do you remember the day you and Mom had a fight? Well, the night after I went to Kamark and...had him give me some help."

Singe leans toward me. He doesn't look surprised anymore, or afraid. Now he looks angry.

"What kind of help?"

I let the suspense brought by that question build for about half a minute. Then I took a deep breath.

"A love potion."

Singe starts leaning back. If he is shocked, he sure isn't showing it. In fact, he looks more intimidating than anything else. The intimidation only escalates when he opens his mouth.

"How could you?"


	19. Antidote

Chapter 19 Antidote

"Hurry up!" Singe called to me.

Singe had told me that we were going to see Kamark. I believe his exact words were "We are going to see Kamark **right now!**" Of course, I understand completely and agree with his perspective. So considering that you might be wondering; why am I lagging behind, then?

Because I. Am so. Tired.

I am not kidding when I say that I can't remember the last time I got a decent amount of sleep. I believe that it was when Singe and I were still in the Forest of Illusion? If so, then I am big trouble. We came to the mainland about a week ago, riding on two weeks. I have never, in my life, been sleep deprived this badly. I feel like I am underwater. An odd comparison, I know, but if you've ever been severely sleep deprived, then you probably know what I am talking about.

I don't tell Singe about my sleepiness though. In fact, I haven't told anybody. Singe has been too busy with trying to patch things up with everybody. Mom has been worshipping the ground that Singe walks on. And Mavery? Over my dead body.

I guess what I am trying to express is that I need help. I don't know how much longer I can go on like this. My best hope is that Singe notices. Unfortunately, he is too angry. I think that telling him is probably my best option at this point (as well as my only option).

"Singe…?"

"I don't want to hear it," Singe says without looking at me. I let out a whimper, one just soft enough for Singe not to hear. I am so screwed.

We climb up a rocky hill, which is probably the only landmark that I have seen that helps give me an idea as to where we are. At the top, I spot the entrance to the Society's hideout. Singe stops and stares at it for a minute. Whether or not he is relieved to be there or has just been hit by a wave of nostalgia, I can't say. Nevertheless, he doesn't stay in one place for long. He starts climbing down the hill, and I follow.

"Oh my goodness!" the sentinel that was guarding the entrance the night I arrived said. He looked like he would squeal like a fangirl when he caught sight of my father. "You...you're…Singe, is that you?"

Singe stops and examines the guard.

"Morty?"

The two then hug it out like a duo of brothers. Morty looks excited to see Singe again. Meanwhile, I feel like I am going to pass out from exhaustion.

"Man, I haven't seen you in forever!" Morty exclaims.

"I know!" SInge responds. He turns to get a brief glimpse of me. He still holding the smile he had apparently put on for Morty, but it seemed to fall a little once he saw me. I was a reminder that he was here for a mission, not a reunion. "Could you please let us in? I need to speak with Kamark."

Naturally, Morty let us in right away. It turned out that the rest of the Society had gone out mole hunting, so the hideout was empty of a throng. The only reason why Kamark didn't go, as Morty informed us, was because he was sick. We found him in his room, curled up under a blanket.

"Kamark? I need to talk to you."

Kamark had been resting on his side with his back facing us. He turned around when he heard Singe speak, and his face lit up.

"Singe! Wow man, the years have been very generous to you."

Singe let out a sarcastic guffaw. This made Kamark look a little frightened.

"What a coincidence! Ruby said the exact same thing to me this morning!" He narrowed his eyes at stared at the magikoopa. "I know that you gave Celia that potion, Kamark, and I want the spell removed!"

Kamark was clearly not prepared for Singe to start yelling at him. It was kind of sad really, considering this is the first time they have seen each other in about seven years.

"Oh." Kamark straightened himself upright. "I...I thought you would appreciate that. After all, Celia told me how much you wanted to 'patch' things up with Ruby." Kamark chuckled. "See what I did there?"

"Now is not the time, Kamark!" Singe yelled. To be honest, while that was definitely not the first time I have heard that joke, I found it kind of amusing. I say 'kind of' because it made me feel a little bad as well. Aside from my current circumstances being an issue, the delivery of the punchline and the chuckle Kamark gave after he said it made me remember the jokes that Lemmy and Larry told while we were on the train to the Beanbean Kingdom. Now the fact that I miss Roy becomes all the more noticeable.

"I'm sorry," Kamark says. He does sound genuinely sorry, and when he sighs and takes his glasses off, I can't help but feel my heart melt. "It's just been such a long time."

I look at Singe and see his countenance soften. He approaches Kamark's bed and sits on the edge.

"I know," he says quietly. Kamark grabs a tissue from the bedside table and sneezes into it.

"I thought you would never come back." Singe only nods in response. I think about saying something to break the silence, but all I can do is yawn.

"Well," Kamark finally says as he puts his glasses back on. "If you want the spell to be broken, I'm afraid there is only one way to do so. Celia, will you reach into my cabinet? Right there, above your head?"

I do as Kamark instructed me to. The only thing that I see in the cabinet is a vile full of yellow liquid. It looks like apple juice, among other things. I show it to Kamark, and he nods.

"That's the antidote. If you want to remove the effects of the love potion, just give it to Ruby in injection form."

"Wait, injection form?" I ask cautiously.

"Yes. The last person who drank it turned into a koala, so I don't think that would be the best option. Unless that's what you want…"

"We'll make do with what we have," Singe says as he removes the antidote from my hands. "Come on Celia, we need to get going."

I don't follow. Actually, to be more accurate, I can't move. I was just hit by a horrible wave of dizziness. It is just one step away from vertigo; it is that bad.

"Celia?" Singe asks as he turns toward me. "Are you alright?"

"I...I'm a little tired," I admit.

"Oh hoh," Kamark says with a chuckle. "Stayed up all night partying, did ya?"

Singe approaches me and puts his real arm on my shoulder. All evidence of anger is gone, so now all I can see on his face is concern.

"Did you need to rest?"

It's tempting. Dang it, it's tempting. But I decide that I should do it later. We need to get Mom back to normal.

"No. I'll be fine."


	20. Exhaustion

Chapter 20 Exhaustion

I am not fine, I AM SO NOT FINE!

Singe had gone and bought a syringe for me to use to inject the antidote into Mom's arm. He said that he wants it to happen while she is asleep, so that way there won't be that much of a fuss. And who does he want to do it?

Me. He wants me to do it.

Singe isn't willing to be in the same room as Mom anymore. While he had never met someone who had been under the influence of the love drug_I mean, love _potion__before, he apparently knew more about the elixir than I did. The attraction that one felt under the potion grew every hour. If Mom were to stay under it for much longer, the attraction would grow strong that she would become physically violent toward Singe. And if the display that I had witnessed in the dining room this morning was any indication, then she had already gotten to that point.

I know I have to do it. I mean, it's only right. I was the one who initiated this; Singe had never asked for this. It has to be me. The only problem is I don't know how much longer I can force myself to stay awake.

"If you want I can do it," Singe said to me once he had handed me the antidote. "I know there is a danger, but it's not like she can harm me when she is asleep."

"No," I said as I shook my head. "A sleeping lion is still a lion."

Singe, despite the fact that he looked concerned, nodded.

"Okay. I just...I don't want you to push yourself."

"I'll be fine," I said. "You don't have to worry about me."

Singe gave a small, sad smile.

"All your life, you've never had me worrying about you," he said. "I feel like this is the least I could do."

I returned the smile, albeit briefly. Now was not the time to get sentimental. Now was the time for action.

"Thanks," I said. I turned and started heading down to the living room, where Mom was sleeping on the couch. Of course, Mavery had not been willing to let "the human" sleep in one of her guest beds. Even letting me lie down on her mattress almost gave her a heart attack, after all. I have a feeling that, when it comes time for Mom to leave, Mavery is going to take the couch and burn it in the backyard.

Every step I took down the stairs, despite the fact that I was tiptoeing, sounded like it could awaken Rosalina in the Comet Observatory. I know; it's nerves. But why are they even acting up at all? I'm not going to diffuse a nuclear bomb, I'm just going to help my mother!

"It's gonna be okay, it's gonna be okay," I whisper to myself. This helps me to calm down a little, but once I get to the bottom of the stairs, the sleep deprivation begins to kick in again. I stop and put my hand against the wall, terrified that I was going to collapse. I don't, thank the developer, but I still feel drowsy. The darkness covering the room isn't helping matters, but I don't want to risk turning on the light.

I creep toward the couch. I can hear Mom's breathing, I can practically see her eyes fluttering beneath the eyelids. She is experiencing REM sleep, and I am jealous.

"Singe," she says in her sleep. She makes a kissing noise with her mouth. "You are just so awesome."

Okay, so maybe I'm not _that_ jealous. I kneel beside the couch and pull back her sleeve. I take out the syringe, and can feel my hands quivering as I hold it above my mother's skin. It has to be done, I remind myself. **It has to be done.**

"Well," I said quietly. "Here goes nothing."

I aim the needle near the shoulder. Just before I can inject the solution, Mom bolts upward. She looks terrified.

"SINGE! WHERE ARE YOU?!"

I am taken completely off guard. In fright, I fall over backwards. Mom's breathing is now heavier, more labored.

"Singe? Is that you?" I get up off the floor, but not before grabbing the syringe and putting it in my pocket.

"No, Mom," I said. "It's Celia." Mom turns on the light on the side table.

"Celia?" Mom asks. I can't help but hear the bitter disappointment in her voice. Even though I know it has nothing to do with me, I can't help but feel a little hurt. "Where's Singe?"

"He's...he went out."

"WENT OUT?!" Mom screams. She grabs me by the scuff of my shirt. I can see that her eyes are no longer brown, they are red. I gulp, knowing that this is not going to end well. "Why would he leave without me?"

"He...well he…"

"Is he leaving me again?" she asks as tears start to form and fall. "Is that it?"

Mom's voice came out aching, pained. Her eyes look afraid, so afraid. She also looks desperate; desperate for my father, desperate to be with him again.

"Mom…" I start softly. Before I can get another word out, a noise comes from upstairs.

"Singe?" Mom asks as she drops me to the ground. She starts scurrying up the stairs, almost tripping over them in the process. And in that moment, I don't care about how tired I am anymore. All I care about is stopping her. I couldn't let her get to Singe.

"No!" I yelled. I run to catch Mom, but she is already at the top of the stairs. By the time I get to the top myself, she is already in the hallway. Fortunately, Singe isn't with her. Unfortunately, Mavery is.

"What the World Eight is all that noise?" she asks. Their is mask on her face, and her baby pink hair has been put up in curlers. Mom pushes her into the wall as she runs down the hallway. Despite me having bigger problems, I take a minute to see if she is okay.

"Are you alright, Mavery?" I ask. Mavery pulls herself away from the wall. The mask left an impression where face met plaster, and one of her curlers popped out and is rolling aimlessly around on the floor.

"That woman is a lunatic!" she said. I sighed in relief. Yep, she's alright. Suddenly, a scream erupts from the guest bedroom. It's a male voice; Singe's. I leave Mavery behind and run. When I enter the bedroom, I see Singe standing on his bed. He looks frightened as all get out as he stares at my mother, who is approaching him slowly.

"Stay... stay away!" The only response Mom gives to him is a manically giggle.

"You are so beautiful," she says. Her voice sounds like it belongs to a psychotic serial killer. Before she can get any closer, I lung forward and tackle her.

"Dad, run!" I yelled. Together, my Mom and I tussle and tumble. Mom looks ready to pull out my hair, ready to pull my teeth out with pliers.

"Mom, listen to me," I said desperately. "You need to stop. You are not yourself."

"I DON'T CARE!" Mom yells back. "I was myself when Singe left the first time, wasn't I?" She bites my arm, sinking her teeth into my golden skin. I pull back, doing my best to not scream. I look down at my arm and see blood escaping from the wound, and I also hear Mom rushing down the hallway. I grit my teeth, pull my sleeve over my bleeding arm, and follow her.

Mom is like a cheetah as she sprints down the hallway, in more ways then one. I can't catch her, all I can do at this point is follow her. I check my pocket just to make sure the syringe is still there, all the while refusing to stop. Mom bolts out the door, and as I look out the window I see Singe in the yard. I can't hear it from inside the house, but I can see his mouth open as he screams. I rush out the door, syringe in my hand.

"Ruby, please don't do this!" he yells in fright. Before he can take a step, Mom leaps on him in pins him to the ground. She doesn't look aggressive anymore, she looks emotionally hurt.

"Don't leave me again!" she says as her tears spill onto Singe's face. "Please Singe, don't do it!"

Singe's eyes start to well with tears as well. He looks at my Mom with empathy.

"Ruby…"

"Please Singe, Don't go." Now her expression changes back to a scowl. "If you don't want to stay, then I will make you stay!"

Mom grabs Singe's wrists and pins him to the ground. With my father helplessly struggling, I decide that I can't waste another minute. I take the syringe and force the antidote into Mom's forearm. Mom gasps as the needle hits her, and when I pull it back she collapses on top of Singe. I gently move her, allowing Singe to get free.

"Thank you, Celia." His voice is shaking, trembling even. I exhale heavily.

"No problem," I respond. From behind us, I can hear Mom stirring. She sits up and rubs her forehead.

"Wha...what's going on?"

"Ruby!" Singe exclaims. He approaches her like he wants to hug her, but at the last minute thinks better of it. "Are you...are you alright?"

Mom stands up. She looks like she is trying to piece the series of events together.

"I…" she looks at Singe, glaring. "You gave me a love potion, didn't you."

"What? No!" Singe says. "Ruby, I would never…"

I don't hear what he says next. I have pushed myself one inch too far. In exhaustion, I collapse onto the ground. The last thing I can recall before completely blacking out is both of my parents calling my name.


	21. What Now?

Chapter 21 What Now?

"Celia? Celia?!"

My mom's voice is distant, echoey. I can barely hear it; at first I think that I am imagining it. However, it quickly becomes booming loud. When she says it, my ears are ringing like a telephone. I want to scream at her to take down the volume, but the problem is that I can't open my mouth. It's like it has been welded shut.

"Ohhh," Mom says worriedly. "I hope she'll be okay."

There is a moment of silence, as if she is waiting for someone to respond. It is only once Singe speaks up that I realize that he is also in the room.

"This is all my fault. I shouldn't have made her force herself."

It is around this time that I regain the ability to open my eyes. The first thing that I see is my Mom's face. Her joyously relieved face.

"Ahh! She's awake!"

I sit up, exerting all effort at my disposal and possibly blowing out a joint in the process.

"Mom," I said. My words are slurred and sound like gibberish. I put my hand to my head and try again. "Mom."

Mom beams and embraces me. She sounds like she is sobbing. She pulls back and looks me in the eye, and to my relief I see that her eyes are green again.

"You scared me so badly," she said. "I almost had a heart attack!"

"Oh, so you're saying I should try harder next time," I respond. Mom nudges me in the arm, and we both laugh. I see Singe standing by the bed, smiling.

"I was worried too," Singe tells me quietly. I nod.

"Well, I am alright," I said. "It's okay, Dad."

Mom looks surprised at my choice of words. Her unease stays on her face as she looks down into her lap.

"Well, now that Celia is okay, we can talk about the elephant in the room." She turns to Singe, who puts his hands up defensively.

"Ruby, I didn't give you the potion."

"And why should I believe you?" Mom stands before Dad, her voice hurt and angry. "Why should I believe a word that you say?"

"Because he's telling the truth," I chimed in. Mom turns to me, looking taken aback. "It was me, Mom. I spiked your drink with the potion."

"Celia…why?"

I let out a long breath.

"Because I didn't want Singe gone," I said simply. Mom stares at me for a minute before turning back to Dad.

"And you had nothing to do with this?" Singe shakes his head.

"No, he didn't," I say. "It was all me. He didn't find out about it until I told him."

Mom puts her head in her hands and starts breathing heavily. Singe approaches and puts his hand, his real hand, on her arm.

"Ruby?" Mom's breathing becomes even harder.

"What I said to you under the spell…"

The unmistakable sniffles that accompany crying can be heard. Singe pulls his hand away.

"Do you want me to leave?"

Mom looks up, and when she speaks her voice is weary, soaked with tears

"I think it is paramount that you do."

Singe's expression looks hurt, but understanding. He slowly nods his head.

"Okay." With that he backs out of the room. Mom wipes her eyes.

"Oh goodness," she mumbled. She turns to me, her eyes pink. "Are you ready to go home, sweetie?"

I nod. That is the only thing my emotions allow me to do.

…

I held Theo in my hands and stared intently into his button eyes, as if that will fix anything. I hear the door opening.

"Hey," Mom says. She sits down on the bed, the frame creaking beneath her weight. "You haven't come out of your room in a while."

"No point," I said, still staring at the bear. "The only place I have to return to is the sewer."

Mom sighs.

"Well, if you are willing," she says, "I would be happy to have you move back in."

I don't move, but that doesn't mean I don't consider it. It's not like I haven't thought about moving back in with Mom. I always imagined us being extremely happy. But in those fantasies, things were different. For one thing, it was just us. Now, after all of this, that picture doesn't look terribly appealing.

"I'll think about it," I finally say. Mom shifts si she isn't facing the wall, but facing me.

"Celia, look at me." I do as I am told, and Mom gives a weak smile. "You're thinking about Singe. Aren't you?"

Just like before, the only response my emotions permit is a nod. Mom bites her lip, but I can't tell the reason why. Is she regretful? Sad?

"It's not that I don't want him back," she begins. "But at the same time, I am worried about what will happen."

"But he's changed," I protest gently. "He doesn't want to hurt you. He didn't even want to hurt you the first time."

Mom looks at me, and I see that deep sadness in her eyes again. A memory, long buried, resurfaces in my mind. Me walking down the hallway to the bathroom, passing Mom's room and hearing her cry. She never showed her tears around me. She only reserved the moments of weakness for when she thought I was looking away. She's the mother, I'm the daughter. Why should I be the one worrying about her?

"I want to trust him; I do," she whispers. She holds my hand and runs her thumb against my skin. "But I have you to worry about."

"And you were pregnant the first time," I reminded her. "You also had me then."

Mom only nods in response and turns away.

"Mom," I said. "You don't have to worry about me getting hurt. I can handle it; that's why I'm half koopa. Not half glass."

Mom snorts back a giggle. I look at her smiling, and can't help but do the same.

"Why don't you get some rest?" Mom asks me. "I don't want you collapsing again."

I nod and lie back. I close my eyes and hear my door close softly.

…

I wake up about five hours later. I look at Theo in my arms and grin slightly. It has been a long time since I've been greeted by him when I wake up. As I place Theo on the pillow, I hear the door open.

"Knock knock."

I can't believe my eyes; I can't believe my ears.

"Singe?" Singe gives me a smile.

"Hey Celia."

"What are you doing here?"

Singe's smile gets brighter.

"I'm moving in," he says happily. "She took me back."

**AN: I can't believe this is finally finished.**

**I know I say that with a lot of my stories, but this one in particular I am really happy about. For those of you who were following either me or this story, you probably noticed there was a long stretch of time where I didn't update this story at all. The truth is, I had become severely burned out. Up until I wrote Chapter 18 a few weeks ago, I couldn't see how this story would end. It scared me; it really did. It scared me so much that I didn't want to write this story anymore. Heck, I even finished Super Koopalings Episode 7 before I finished this.**

**But, it's done, and I am grateful for all of you who stuck by this story during the rough patch. As always, there are a few people who I would like to give shoutouts to. Thanks so much to TheGhostlyRobot and TrimusicaDrag00n90 for favoriting and iSqueakers and esti for favoriting and following. I'll see you all next time :)**


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